The present invention relates generally to the field of information management, and more particularly to data descriptions.
A data dictionary, or metadata repository, is a centralized repository of information about data such as meaning, relationships to other data, origin, usage, and format. In some cases, the term also includes one of several closely related meanings pertaining to databases and database management systems (DBMS). In one case, a data dictionary is a document describing a database or collection of databases. In another case, a data dictionary is an integral component of a DBMS that is required to determine the structure of the database. In another case, a data dictionary is a piece of middleware that extends or supplants the native data dictionary of a DBMS.